A new study to be published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management says government-provided breakfast in classrooms doesn’t help students learn, nor does it increase obesity.
“Our findings provide no evidence of hoped-for gains in academic performance, or of feared increases in obesity,” the study’s authors write. The study was authored by Sean Corcoran, Brian Elbel and Amy Schwartz, all with New York University.
The New York Daily News reports that the study examined data from 2007 to 2012, when 284 New York City elementary and middle schools served breakfast in classrooms. The study also found that attendance improved slightly during that time. More attendance, however, doesn’t appear to have led to better academics.
Other studies have focused on breakfast in classrooms in other parts of the country and found improvement in student learning. In trying to figure out why that didn’t occur in New York, Corcoran said, “It’s a mystery.”
The study also examined how participation in the breakfast program changed when breakfast was moved from the cafeteria, prior to the school day, to the classroom. Unsurprisingly, the switch made participation jump from 20 percent to 50 percent per school, on average.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
